THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University women's basketball team shot just 24 percent in the first half against HBU, but a dominating third quarter followed by clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch led to the Colonels' fifth consecutive victory with a 57-53 win over the Huskies Wedensday night on Broussard Court in Stopher Gymnasium.
With the win, Nicholls (11-16, 8-10 SLC) moved into eighth place in the Southland Conference standings. The Colonels are a win ahead of Central Arkansas (7-10), which was idle on Wednesday. Southeastern Louisiana (8-9 SLC) remained a half-game ahead with its win over McNeese.
The victory over HBU (6-20, 2-15 SLC) was reminiscent of the one in Houston earlier this year as Nicholls had to come up with plays down the stretch. With less than three minutes remaining and the Colonels down 49-48, the senior tandem of
Chrystal Ezechukwu and
Airi Hamilton teamed up for a layup which put the Colonels up for good.
Ezechukwu, who had a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds, added three free throws on four attempts before
Tykeria Williams finished an acrobatic layup for a 55-50 lead with less than a minute to go. HBU made a free throw and was forced to foul, with Hamilton connecting on two more freebies at the line. The Huskies scored in the final seconds to make the final.
Hamilton was on the floor for all 40 minutes, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. She has played every minute in the last six games, while Williams has did the same in the previous eight contests.
The Colonels had to overcome a cold start as they scored just 10 points in each of the first two quarters, trailing by four at the break. With the game tied at 35 in the final minutes of the third, Nicholls grabbed a little momentum when
Kacie Fountain gave the Colonels the lead with a layup. On the ensuing possession, Williams picked up a steal and finished with a layup for a 39-35 advantage heading into the fourth.
In the fourth, HBU retook the lead at 42-41 on a pair of Abbey Sutherland free throws. The teams traded leads four more times before Hamilton's go-ahead bucket at the 2:42 mark.
Chelsea Cain and
Lauryn Bowie each finished with seven points for the Colonels, while
Loan-Anh Johnson had six. Williams had four points and two assists.
Although shooting 37 percent from the field, the Colonels continued to punish teams at the free throw line, hitting 21 of 26. Nicholls was also 0-for-2 from 3-point range, ending an impressive stretch of 335 consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer, which dated back to 2009.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will play in Stopher Gymnasium for the final time, hosting rival New Orleans at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29 on Senior Day. Before the game, the Colonels will honor seniors
Chrystal Ezechukwu,
Airi Hamilton,
Korie Leary, and
Tykeria Williams.
